I don’t know about you, but Halloween is my favorite time of the year! I love the Spooktacular decorations and costumes. Here’s what’s trending this year.

Costumes:

If you’re into movies, Star Wars is always a classic and it’s a great thing to do as a family or a group because there are so many different characters. I call R2D2 because all that’s gold glitters!

Or, if you just like goofy costumes (like we do) look at this pix of how my family including my dog, Bernie, is going to be dressed this year! By the by, I’m the shark who was the better dancer with Katy Perry. #JustSayin’.

Décor:

As a designer, I’m all about how to make the house look festive and fabulous both inside & out. Sparkly pumpkins & chic Day of the Dead are both trending in terms of styling.

HOT TIP:

Now thru this Saturday, when you spend $30 on costumes, party supplies or Halloween décor at Target,you’ll save $5! #YoureWelcome

Trick or Treaters:

I will admit that I don’t often eat candy bars, so this was news to me. Did you know there is a dark chocolate Kit Kat? WHAT?! It’s called Kit Kat Darkness and is exclusive to Target. Um, 2 of my fav treats (outside of salted caramel and coffee gelato).

Autumnal Awesomeness:

Not everybody loves Halloween as much as I do. Shocker! But, one easy way to be festive without being Halloween-y is to PORCHSCAPE (I just made that up that term!)

Basically, style your porch to feel like a room by adding patterned cushions in poppy colors that match the potted plants which are on your porch. Now, the sad truth is I’m awful at dealing with potted plants, grasses and landscaping, in general. I know, not something you would have thought, but I inherited the lack of green thumb from my Mom. Thanks, Ma! Here’s the scoop, I just never know how to handle each plant or grass’s different needs (sun, water, talking to!). Ahhhh.2 weeks ago, a friend told me about an app that geotargets your house (down to the side of the street it’s on!) and basically gives you a smart yard… kinda like Nest give you a smart home with the HVAC/security/Co2 detector system.

So, I downloaded the Gro app from Scotts Miracle Gro and think I might actually be able to grow something, for a change. I’ll let you know because in 2 more weeks I’m slated to plant my whole property with pretty drought tolerant grasses, plants, trees. Green thumbs crossed!

I’m donating the necklace I’m wearing (above) to this experiment to see where it travels. I’ve called our necklace Koko for the supple, rich, chocolatey color, and the fact that it’s made from the Hawaiian Kukui nut bead. Nothing too crazy in the naming process, huh? I figured the social experiment was exciting enough. Part telephone game, part #SixDegreesOfKevinBacon, part it’s a small world after all. Let’s see where we can send Koko, what fun things she gets to do…. and we’ll see how we’re all connected!

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Each participant (or, custodian as I’m calling us) will post a picture on their Twitter, Facebook and/or Instagram accounts sharing a short blurb about what they did whilst wearing Koko! Be SURE to include @TracyMetro and #KokoChain in the post, so everybody can keep track of Koko’s whereabouts!

Step 2: Friend request me on your favorite social media platform and then we can DM or FB message the next steps about where to send Koko.

Step 3: Once I receive interest from the next custodian who wants to wear Koko, I’ll make the connection between you two.

Step 4: Each participant will pay to mail Koko to the next custodian… yes, even if it’s half way around the world! Since it’s light, it can’t cost more than a few bucks/quid. Just think, you’ll be a part of a global experiment… isn’t that worth a few shekels?

Step 5: I’ll share the details of Koko’s adventures here at my blog including a map of her travels.

Maybe Koko will find herself in a remote village in the Hunan Province in China worn by a woman who’s a teacher? On the wrist of a tax accountant on tax day? Or, on the runways of Paris during Fashion Week? Might be kinda neat to see Koko tied to the scrubs of a brain surgeon who’s just performed a life-saving operation! Perhaps she’ll wind up around Robin Roberts’ neck on Good Morning America or Lorraine Kelly’s neck on her show Lorraine? The possibilities are endless, and only limited by our word of mouth.

I’m excited to see where she goes & what does she does… so far Koko has been to the following places:

At 3:15am PST on Monday October 3rd, the rest of my professional life will officially begin when the show on which I’ve been lucky enough to be the presenter and designer begins airing, in the UK only (right now).

As well all know, it truly does take a Village (thanks Hillary!) and the entire team — from producing staff to design gang to runners alike — ALL made it a spectacularly BONKERS 6 month experience… and one I won’t likely forget for a long long time. I’m so stinkin’ excited that you get to see the fab makeovers we did, meet the eclectic group of contributors with whom we worked and see some of the stunning areas we visited while helping some UKers sell their homes.

Over the next few months, I promise to share some of the funny stories that transpired whilst shooting such as:

when an entire wall of wallpaper peeled off before our very eyes,

the 6 hours straight that we listened to a house alarm siren (and yet the cameras kept rolling),

that time when I closed my eyes while narrowly escaping the front end of a lorry, and

yes yes, I will share the moment when I wee’d in my trousers (OK, so it was more than once!).

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the holidays are on our doorstep! What the?! Well, maybe not our doorstep but they definitely are on our street! So, yes we are ramping up to the holidays when zillions of people will be traipsing through our homes, and I’ve got 3 fab finds to help make prepping for the onslaught a little bit easier.

Numero Uno:

People get nutty + things break = sad face. But the show must go on and it can if you keep a Krazy Glue Precision Control Pen handy in your junk drawer. The name says it all… it allows you to put glue precisely where it needs to be because of the precision pen tip! And, the pressure grip allows you to deposit just the right amount of glue so you don’t have excess glue oozing all over the place. And of course, it’s the fastest setting glue of its kinds so you can get back to entertaining! Der.

Numero Dos:

Maybe you’ve heard about the drama on the Retro Metro with our leak — and hence us pulling up our flooring YET AGAIN. UGH. Well, Fall is a fantastic time to lay new flooring because of the typically dry weather that allows uninstalled flooring to easily become acclimated to your home versus laying flooring in the spring when it can be damp and harder to become acclimated. But who cares about when the IDEAL time to lay new flooring … We just want our homes (or in this case our houseboats!) to be gorgeous. Wide planks — anywhere from 5-7” (that’s what she said!) are what’s hot in flooring right now. As well, light colored flooring like Lumber Liquidators’ white-washed, Morning Star Pearl City Bamboo is fantastic in a kitchen because it hides dirt oh so well. Dark floors had their heyday, but now it’s all about the light look which (by the by) is SO much easier to keep clean. A little inside scoop: We’re in the midst of buying a duplex and I am DEF installing light floors as I’ve been a slave to the black, wood floors for too too long. #CleaningLady

Number Trace (get it?):

Of course all parties wind up in the kitchen, so I say make it one of the most fashionable (and functional) rooms in the house. Most of us don’t really think about a sink as being a design element, but it absolutely is! Just look at how sexy the Crosstown sink by ElKay is. Yes, I did just say a sink was sexy! Don’t judge me, people, I’m a designer! This sink is a chameleon because it can work in a traditional, modern or transitionally designed kitchen.

If you’re into the farmhouse or apron style sink, El Kay has a retrofit for a standard cabinet which allows you to have the look of a traditional farm house sink, but works with your existing cabinets. What? Yes, that is revolutionary! Inside scoop: I am SO using an El Kay sink in my new kitchen. #SexySink

Depending on your set up, the Crosstown sink can be undermounted or dropped in with a very slim rim so clean up is a breeze… well, depending on how messy your friends and family are it may be more like cleaning up after a torneadeau, but that’s between you and them! #Just sayin!

Backstory: my crap-ass Chevy Volt got semi-broken into. How does a car get semi-broken into? Well, when unbeknownst to you the dealer, Community Chevrolet, turns off your automatic door locks during a “recall” fix and doesn’t tell you, so that when you walk away from the car (that has been automatically locking for a year and a half!!!) and it suddenly remains unlocked, the car can get “semi-broken into.”

The thief stole 3 thing that I have discovered thus far. An adorable handbag that I had been putting Bernie in when sneaking him into restaurants. Shhhh.

Bernie’s Children’s Hospital volunteering outfit and badge as well as a zillion reusable totes.

Who in the hell wants my reusable grocery totes???

I digress.

As a result of the theft, I needed to sew Bernie a new CHLA neckerchief which I didn’t think was going to be a stree-free or fast experience since my sewing machine and thread were packed away deep in my storage unit.

Well, thanks to my handy-dandy Box Legend spreadsheet, all I had to do was query “sewing machine” and “thread” — and BOOM I had my box numbers! Then, all I had to do was locate the actual boxes in my dark storage unit which I was able to do with the flashlight that I leave in the unit!

It works people. It works.

Tweet me @TracyMetro something that was a pain in the arse to do, but actually works!